


caught in the shadows of your limelight

by guidingmoon



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-06 23:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12221544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guidingmoon/pseuds/guidingmoon
Summary: In which Waverly and Nicole are assigned to be dance partners.





	caught in the shadows of your limelight

If truth be told, Waverly hated the annual Purgatory winter dance. Not that she disliked dancing; she was actually very accomplished and had been head cheerleader in high school, so she had a variety of dances under her belt. More to the point was the fact that everyone had to take compulsory dance classes to prepare for the event, which were always torture. They were even worse if you didn't have a dance partner.

Waverly had never been lacking a dance partner, not in the past ten years or so that she had been taking part in these classes. Boys were always willing to be her partner, even before she started dating Champ. Then he came along and that was her partner sorted out for a fair few years running, even if Champ was a terrible dancer.

This year was different. Waverly had no one to dance with. So, when she turned up to the class on a Thursday afternoon she was incredibly apprehensive of what would be thrown her way. 

As her luck would have it, a tall redhead in a police uniform was thrown her way. Most notably, a woman. Waverly silently cursed the dance instructor as she lined up, aware of many eyes staring at her. No wonder the whole room felt suffocating. 

Still, Waverly hadn't been voted nicest person in Purgatory for no reason, so she braced herself and put on the most genuine smile she could muster, for the benefit of this cop, who she hadn't seen around town at all. 

"I'm Waverly," she said cheerily, sticking out a hand. She wasn't sure if this was the right time for formalities, given that the class was about to be in full swing, but she went for it anyway. 

"Nicole Haught," the woman replied, shaking her hand. Her grip was firm and her hand felt smooth and warm. Already, Waverly was taking a shine to her.

"You must be new," Waverly said kindly, trying hard to keep the smile on her face so as not to offend Nicole. "How long have you been here?"

"Oh, only a week," Nicole said. "Sheriff Nedley's already got me working away, though, so I've pretty much been stuck in the office. That might be why you haven't seen me around."

"Right, that makes sense," Waverly nodded. "I work at Shorty's, you should go there. Happy Hour is definitely worth it."

Nicole raised an eyebrow. "I hear it's the place to be," she said. "At least, according to Nedly. Good thing I like beer." She chuckled, trying to ease the tension between them. 

The instructor called out for everyone to place their hands on their partner. Waverly looked at Nicole with a nonplussed smile. 

"Do you want to lead first?" she asked, out of politeness. She would offer to take the lead, but given the height difference, it seemed to make sense for Nicole to play that role. 

Nicole didn't mind much. "We can take it in turns," she said as she wrapped her arm around Waverly's waist, pulling her in close. Her grasp was gentle but commanding at the same time. She fixed Waverly with an unwavering look.

"So, this is kind of awkward, right?" Waverly laughed nervously, trying her best to keep her eyes on Nicole, though it was difficult, particularly when she was gazing at her so intently.

Nicole seemed to shake herself out of a daze and she smiled sweetly, clearly having missed what Waverly just said. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked apologetically.

Waverly had already forgiven her and she flashed Nicole a warm smile. "It doesn't matter," she said sincerely, determined to make this as easy as possible for both of them. After all, they weren't partnered together by choice, and as the only females dancing together, the atmosphere in the room was already tense. Just as long as they managed to learn the right moves, they would be fine. They just needed to get through the next two hours, then they would never have to speak to each other again, if they wanted. Except that Waverly felt a flutter of disappointment of the thought of never seeing Nicole again. It would be a shame not to keep Nicole as an acquaintance, especially as she seemed so good-natured.

To Waverly's surprise, Nicole was a good dancer. Their agreement to switch roles each time was certainly working, as now they both knew the male and female steps, but Nicole lead with such confidence and grace. She adjusted quickly to each dance, much quicker than Waverly, even, and that was quite a feat, as Waverly had done these type of classes before. Nicole was just as amazing at salsa as she was at waltzing.

"How did you learn to dance?" Waverly asked as they paused to watch the instructor map out the steps for a foxtrot.

Nicole let out a laugh, raising her eyebrows comically. "One of my high school taught me," she replied. "She bought me dancing classes for my birthday present, and I couldn't exchange that for cash, so I didn't really have much of a choice."

"Wow, that's dedication," Waverly said, trying to contain how impressed she was at Nicole's skills. 

"I'm guessing you've had to do this before," Nicole said. "Small town, not many people...bet they roped you in every year."

"Your detective skills are amazing, maybe you should consider joining the police department." Waverly quipped. 

An amused smile fell over Nicole's face. "You're lucky you're cute because your jokes leave something to be desired," she said playfully. 

 Waverly blushed. "You mean I'm lucky that you're cute because otherwise this whole day would suck." Too late, she realized what she'd said, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," Nicole put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'll take it as a compliment." She shot Waverly a stunning smile and leaned close to her, lowering her voice to an almost whisper. "I can't complain when a pretty girl tells me such things."

If Waverly wasn't dead before, she certainly was now. She could only gape at Nicole, thoroughly thrown by the flirtatious comment. If she didn't know better, she would say that was an invitation to flirt with the officer, and Waverly would be damned if she didn't accept. She had never been one to back down from a challenge, much like her sister, Wynonna. In that regard, the two of them were rather similar. Seeing the confidence radiating from Nicole, Waverly was determined to rise to her level. Two could play at that game.

Sensing a perfect opportunity, Waverly grabbed Nicole's hands and put them into position, whilst she placed a hand brazenly on Nicole's waist. They'd done this plenty of times before, but this time felt different, almost intimate. Waverly pushed down a wave of embarrassment as she noticed that hardly anyone had moved back to their partners, many still focused on the instructor's earlier demonstration. 

Luckily, the instructor didn't take long to shout out for people to partner up once more. Waverly was glad only a few seconds had passed, else she would have to come up with a passable excuse to explain to Nicole why she'd been so eager to get into position.

The look on Nicole's face suggested that she was not thinking about the dance, so much as Waverly herself. Nicole was starting at Waverly, tracing her eyes over her body, a dreamy expression on her features. 

Waverly held off on interrupting Nicole, trying to find the best way possible to tease her. She removed her hand from Nicole's shoulder, still keeping the other on her waist, and straightened her top, pulling it down ever so slightly. This gave Nicole a view of her collarbone and the dip of the top only served as a reminder of what was underneath. 

Seeing Nicole's eyes widen, Waverly bit back a smile and ran through a range of ideas in her head, figuring out the best way to really toy with her partner. 

"You know, I was thinking of getting a new necklace," she said, lifting her fingers up to the crane pendant. "This one's a little old. What do you think?" 

Nicole's attention was fixed on Waverly's necklace and what lay below, but she coughed and swiftly tore her eyes away when she realized she'd been staring for far too long.

"It's a nice necklace," she stuttered, keeping her eyes on Waverly's and holding her gaze steady, despite the nerves in her stomach.

"But should I change it?" Waverly asked, a coy smile tugging at her lips.

Helpless, Nicole could only pull a face and shrug. "It's your choice," she said, scrambling to form a coherent sentence.

Her panic subsided as the music started up and Waverly took ahold of her, leading the dance. It gave Nicole the chance to relax a little, following Waverly's steps and giving into the comforting touch of Waverly's hands on her body. The sensation almost felt familiar; it was like they fit together perfectly. Nicole felt at ease, allowing herself to make eye contact with Waverly, who was utterly enthralling in this moment. 

As the dance came to a close, therefore heralding the end of the session, Waverly smiled at Nicole, holding her gaze. "I like the foxtrot," she said, for want of a better conversation starter. 

There wasn't much to say in reply, so Nicole simply returned the smile warmly, reluctant to let go of Waverly. The second Waverly took a step back, the loss of contact felt jarring. Nicole berated herself for feeling like that. She didn't really know Waverly yet, it was crazy to think that she could have an attachment to her already.

Everyone sauntered out of the room, filing out of the door to put on jackets and shoes. Nicole and Waverly had been at the back of the room, hence some of the last to leave. They chatted about casual things, such as how they took their coffee and whether dogs or cats were better. Nicole was adamant that cats were by far superior.

To tell the truth, two hours with Nicole felt far too short for Waverly's liking. She'd been dreading it at the start, particularly as her and Nicole were the only women dancing together. People talked, rumours flew and Purgatory was full of judgemental assholes, but that wasn't news. It had been the same ever since high school. She just didn't need a reason for people to hate her. Not that dating Nicole should be any reason for the town to turn on her. If anyone had a problem with that, they were downright homophobic in Waverly's mind. 

She shook off her thoughts, slightly disturbed at how they had escalated into daydreaming about what it would be like to date Nicole.

"So that was a lot more fun than I expected," Nicole said, surprising Waverly. "I'm glad you're a good dancer."

"You're not half bad yourself," Waverly grinned, giving Nicole a good-natured nudge with her hip. She was suddenly overcome with shyness, unsure if Nicole was okay with physical contact now that they were no longer dancing together. Waverly wanted to ask Nicole if they could keep in touch, but she was beaten to it.

"You should drop by the station sometime," Nicole suggested, shrugging on her coat and tying her laces. She rose to her full height and tactfully hid her gun from plain sight, tucking it underneath the coat. She was wary of what the civilians might say if they saw her walking around with a gun at dance class. 

"That's real sweet of you," Waverly said. She smiled brightly. "I mean, I don't want to get your way, of course, that would be the worst, right? Sheriff Nedley might kill me."

Nicole's eyes twinkled. "Trust me, I'd never let him do that," she said, accompanied by a tip of her hat. Her smile was so big it almost reached her ears. 

"Really? I don't want you to get fired because you were protecting me," Waverly said with concern.

"I'm a woman of my word," Nicole winked. She strode towards the exit then turned just before she disappeared. "See you around, Waverly."

Waverly had never been more excited to go to the police station in her entire life. 


End file.
